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From Kim Kardashian to Paris Hilton, many female celebrities are known for their raspy, low voices.
Known as “vocal frying,” this low-key rant has become popular with young women who want to speak like their idols.
Now, a study has revealed how women who speak using vocal fry use the same technique that cats use when they purr.
Researchers from the University of Vienna have discovered a special ‘cushion’ embedded in cats’ vocal folds, which may explain why they are able to produce these low-frequency sounds.
“The observed sound production mechanism is strikingly similar to the human ‘squeak’ or ‘vocal fry’,” the team explained.
From Kim Kardashian (left) to Paris Hilton (right), many female celebrities are known for their raspy, low voices.
Cats are known for their wide range of sounds, whether it’s a shrill scream or a low-pitched purr.
Previous studies have shown that meows and screams are produced in a cat’s larynx, or “voice box,” just like vocalizations in humans.
However, until now, the mechanism behind purring has remained unclear.
Research dating back 50 years suggests that purrs are produced by a special mechanism in which muscles in the vocal folds inside the larynx contract and relax in a cycle.
However, in their new study, the researchers questioned whether this is actually the case, noting that such a process requires constant neural input and control from the brain.
To put things into perspective, the team recruited eight house cats and analyzed their voice boxes as they made a range of sounds.
As expected, the analysis revealed that periodic muscle contractions are not necessary to generate cat purrs.
Instead, the team found that cats have a unique cushion within their vocal folds that is responsible for low-frequency noise.
To put things into perspective, the team recruited eight house cats and analyzed their voice boxes as they made a range of sounds (stock image)
“Anatomical investigations revealed a unique ‘cushion’ within the vocal folds of cats,” said Christian T. Herbst, lead author of the study.
“(This) may explain how such a small animal, weighing only a few kilograms, could regularly emit sounds at such incredibly low frequencies (20-30 Hz, or cycles per second) – far lower than even the lowest bass sounds that Produced by human voices.’
The researchers explained that this process is very similar to the process of sonic frying in humans.
Writing in their study, published in Current biology“This is similar to vocalization in humans, which exists at frequencies below 70 Hz,” they added.
Sonic frying sounds It is usually used at the end of a sentence when users indulge in low, loud notes.
It has been compared to the way Britney Spears sings the phrase “Oh baby, baby” in her first hit song “Baby One More Time”.
Unfortunately for those who have adopted the dialect, a recent study found that women who speak it are viewed as less intelligent and attractive.
However, researchers at the University of Florida found no difference in the impression it gives when used by men.
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